Seed of Destiny
by RiceBoi
Summary: Shin Asuka, an Orb born coordinator, experiences first hand the horror of war. In an instant his family is taken from him. These are Shin’s experiences that led to the events of Gundam Seed Destiny.
1. Orb's Ultimatum

**Introduction: **It is Year 71 of the Cosmic Era. A war between coordinators and naturals was raging. In the midst of all the hatred and the deadly clash between beliefs, was a country tolerant to any human being. The country's name was Orb. It has been 36 hours since the Earth Alliance gave Orb its difficult offer of either surrendering or be destroyed. Representative Attha knew that Orb was no match against the Earth Alliance so he issued an evacuation order to all of his people. The M1 Astray Corps were already called into combat. The Archangel had been launched and both the Freedom and Justice Gundams were battling tirelessly against the combined efforts of the Forbidden, Calamity, and Raider Gundams. In the middle of all this destruction stands Shin Asuka, the future pilot of the ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam. This is the story of Shin and his experiences that led to the events of Gundam Seed Destiny.

**Phase 1: Orb's Ultimatum**

"Shin, hurry up. We have to get out of here."

"Yes mother. Come on, sis, let's go. The Earth Alliance mobile suits will be here any moment."

"Shin, help me, I'm scared."

"It'll be alright. I got you. Arghhhhhhhhhh."

A beam rifle had just gone off and impacted in the vicinity. A crater was left where the beam hit. The trio quickly recovered from the aftershock and took flight once again.

"Hurry, sis. We have to get out of here. Mother, let's go."

Flash, another beam came towards them. Overhead, Shin caught a glimpse of the Calamity and Forbidden Gundam. All of a sudden, an explosion occurred. Shin stared in horror as his mother and sister were taken from him in one brief moment. He reached out towards them, but his efforts were futile.

Despite the impact's deafening sound, Shin heard a voice cry out.

"Shin!"

Shin dropped to his knees, his eyes were filled with tears of sorrow. He lashed back his head and screamed with all his might. "Noooooooooooooooooooo. Sis, mother, you can't leave me like this. Noooooooooooooooooo."

Then a man grabbed him. "Come on, do you want to die here? We have to get out of here as soon as possible."

Shin was speechless. The shock of his mother and sister's deaths had torn him in two. His mind fell into a dark chasm. The void was all he can see. His sorrow had drowned him and he seemed ready to give up living. But, deep in his mind, a voice called to him. It called for vengeance. And thus forth, Shin was consumed in his hatred towards the Earth Alliance. In his mind he saw a visual of a black seed. He then regained consciousness.

"No, I must get revenge, revenge for my family."

He broke out of the man's grasp and rushed off into the forests. Shin ran as far and fast as he could. All that he could think of was an instrument he could use to extract his revenge. "Things were perfect here," he thought, "until those monsters from the Earth Alliance came. I was perfectly happy, and my sister was too. My family could have lived peacefully here. But, those power hungry dogs ruined everything. Curse them, I wished they were all dead. Now, I know nothing can bring my family back."

As he was running, Shin came across a ten year old girl. She had been separated from her family and was crying. Shin walked over towards her in hopes of comforting her and said softly, "It's going to be okay."

"Sniff, how do you know? Have you seen my mommy? Sniff, I wanna go home."

"It's okay little girl, climb on my back." Shin took her over his shoulder and ran off in the direction of the nearest evacuation port. As the little girl was clinging on to his shoulders, Shin was reminded of his own sister. Before he knew it, tears were rolling down his eyes.

"What's wrong?" the little girl asked.

"My family was killed about half an hour ago in the crossfire," Shin replied as he choked through the tears.

"It's okay, mister. Just because they're gone, doesn't mean their spirits have left you. My mommy told me that even though people die, their spirits will always watch over you."

Shin felt quite comforted. They soon reached an evacuation port. The ship was getting ready to launch. All of a sudden a voice cried out, "April, thank goodness you're safe."

"Mommy!"

The pilot quickly walked up to Shin and said, "I'm sorry, but there is only one more seat available. One of you will have to remain behind."

"Of course I will stay behind," said Shin as handed over April to the man.

"Will I ever see you again?" April asked in a worried tone.

"Of course," Shin replied. "I'll be on the next ship and we'll meet up later."

"Okay. Bye, mister," said April as the ship was getting ready to leave.

Shin stood near the port as the ship took off. He watched it cut through the ocean. Then he saw something that made his blood run cold. The Raider Gundam was flying overhead and saw the escape boat. It took aim with its dual cannon. Shin was in a state of absolute shock. His face became white. What happened next was brief, but extremely painful. The beam from the Raider Gundam's cannon sliced the ship. Everyone on that ship was dead. April was dead. His rage began to consume him and in his mind he saw the black seed again. This time the seed burst and he rushed off to find an instrument to dish out justice towards the nefarious actions of the Earth Alliance.

He ran for twenty minutes until he came across an abandoned hangar by the cliffs. It was surrounded by wreckages of M1 Astray units. The ground was littered with the bodies of his countrymen. Overhead the remaining M1 Astrays were battling the oncoming Strike Daggers and Vtol Fighters. As he proceeded into the hangar, he saw it. It was an M1 Astray unit. It was unscathed and perfectly functional. Even though he had no experience piloting a mobile suit, he knew that he must take it into battle. He swiftly climbed up to the cockpit and got in. What he saw inside was nothing like what he had ever seen before. The control systems were very sophisticated, but there was no OS. "That's why this unit was never taken out into battle," he thought. With haste, Shine began to work on the OS.

"Okay, set propulsion to a 45 degree angle. Adjust the angle of movement and redistribute its overall weight density." It was just like what he learned in the technical college. Within fifteen minutes, the OS was completely written and the mobile suit was functional. "Okay, the M1 Astray is equipped with a beam saber, a beam rifle, and a shield. It's not much, but anything can be a dangerous weapon in the right hands."

"It's payback time," Shin shouted. "I swear by the ruins of Orb that I will avenge you dear sister. I will avenge my family. I will avenge you too, April." With those words, Shin took off in the M1 Astray and charged off to battle.


	2. An End to Innocence

**Phase 2: An End to Innocence**

Shin was searching for any Earth Alliance scum in his M1 Astray. He was still a little rusty with the controls, but he soon got the hang of it. He was flying over Onogoro Island when he found a squadron of Strike Daggers. He knew that this would be a difficult challenge, but his rage had consumed him. He immediately opened fire on the Strike Daggers.

The beam ripped a hole in their formation. The Strike Daggers immediately began firing back. Shin took careful aim and blasted one in the chest. As he watched the pilot of the mobile suit die in the explosion, many things were running through his mind. He had just killed someone. He just distributed death to a fellow human being. No, the pilot deserved it. All Earth Alliance scum must die. They must pay for what they have done.

The seed in his mind burst and he opened fire with more vigor and deadly accuracy. He caught one on the side and another straight through the cockpit. His lust for vengeance consumed him and he was showing no mercy. Within a few moments, there were only four Strike Daggers left. Shin put up his beam rifle and took out his beam saber. He charged straight into them and sliced them up. Unbeknownst to him, a ZAFT submarine was observing Shin's actions.

"This pilot has got some skill," said the communications officer.

"Yes," the captain replied. "Morman, follow him."

Shin's mobile suit stood there, frozen in the air. Inside the cockpit Shin was panting heavily. "There will be no mercy. Bring it on."

Shin soon got his wish as a whole fleet of Earth Alliance warships came into the vicinity. Squadrons of Strike Daggers launched immediately. Shin was ready for them. His beam rifle was already aimed. He began blasting. One after another, the Strike Daggers were getting destroyed, but there were too many. Shin soon found himself surrounded.

"If I'm going down, then I'm taking some of you with me."

"I have a better idea," said a voice behind him. "How about some help, pilot."

A squadron of M1 Astrays had appeared and began aiding Shin. The Strike Daggers were falling back until the arrival of EA Gundams. The Forbidden fired its arching beams and destroyed two of the M1s, but Shin dodged at the nick of time. The Calamity then fired its two long ranged cannons and Shin shielded himself by kicking up a wave of water. Shin then fired at the Forbidden, but the beam bended and missed. Then he saw it. The Raider Gundam was off destroying M1 Astrays with its Mjolnir Hammer. Shin burst out in range and fired a barrage of blasts at it. The Raider shielded itself by twirling its hammer in a defensive shield.

"This guy is not like the others, Shani," said the pilot of the Calamity Gundam.

"Oi, but that's what makes it fun," replied the pilot of the Forbidden Gundam.

"Speak for yourselves, he's not hot on your tail," shouted the pilot of the Raider Gundam.

Shin kept with his barrage, but after awhile, the three Gundams flew off towards Orb's mass driver. Shin kept hot on their heels as the remaining M1 Astrays took on the Strike Daggers. As he got closer, he saw an awesome ship blast off into the sky. His computer identified it as the Archangel. It fired a Lohengrin positron blast and sped off into space. Then he saw the Kusanagi core module blasting off. Two Gundams were tailing it. There was a blue one and a red one, and the EA Gundams were firing at them. The Freedom and Justice Gundams then caught up to the Kusanagi and returned fire. Within a few moments, the Kusanagi was in space.

"Looks like this isn't your day," Shin said coldly.

"Shut you trap," shouted the pilot of the Raider.

"This is gonna be fun," said the guy known as Shani.

"Your mouth is going to be thoroughly cleansed by the ocean water," shouted the pilot of the Calamity Gundam.

With lightning fast movements, the three Gundams charged at Shin. Beam after beam were fired at him. Shin knew that he was soon going to be overpowered. He tried his best to return fire, but his mobile suit was obsolete compared to theirs. All of a sudden a blast caught him in the back and destroyed his wings and one of the two boosters. Then the Forbidden charged and sliced off the M1's left leg. The Raider continued the assaulted by smashing the M1's head with his hammer. A final blast by the Calamity sent Shin hurtling into the ocean.

As he was going down, Shin thought of his sister. In his mind he saw April, his sister, and his mother. They were surrounded in a golden aura and were smiling at him. It was then he knew that hatred was not the answer. His sister was reaching towards him and was smiling. Shin's heart felt quite peaceful and his muscles began to relax. He smiled and reached out his hand. Then the aura faded. He heard his sister's soft voice, "It is not your time."

Shin then faced the harshness of reality. His cockpit was already halfway under water. Shin hit the ejection button and his pod shot out of the water and into the sky. Just as he was falling, he heard an explosion underwater. A jet of water shot straight out of the sea. His pod landed in the water with a giant splash. The sheer impact of the crash knocked Shin out. Everything went black and Shin once again fell into a void.

"Wake up," a stern voice commanded.

"Are you okay?" another voice asked, but this voice belonged to that of a sweet female.

Shin woke with a start. "Where am I? What is this place?"

"You're on a ZAFT submarine, silly," the said the girl. Shin got a better look at the girl. She had blonde hair and was very beautiful. But Shin felt a sudden pain in his chest. Blood rushed into his mouth and flowed down his chin. He fell back and fainted again.


	3. Tears in the Sea

**Phase 3: Tears in the Sea**

"Wake up, wake up. Are you okay? Please answer me," the girl almost shrieked.

"He should be okay," said a doctor. "His vital signs are stable. But you'd be like that too if you suffered that severe a concussion."

After two hours Shin began stirring in his bed. In his mind he was struggling with his feelings and memories. His battle with them was fierce and never-ending. After reliving his memory of his sister's death, he awoke with a start. He let out an ear piercing scream. With tears in his eyes, he expressed his angst. The girl immediately ran into the medical bay.

"Are you okay?"

"Arrrrggggghhhhh, I can't take it anymore. Why can't I feel at peace? Why?"

The girl took his hand in hers and said, "Don't worry, I'm here for you."

She wrapped her arms around him and held him as he cried.

Shin later broke the embrace and asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Mina. I'm a communications and tactical officer onboard the ZAFT submarine _Leviathan_. I'm also a nurse here in the medical bay. What's your name?"

"Sigh," Shin turned his back to her. He breathed heavily and finally said, "My name is Shin Asuka. I was a resident of Orb, until the Earth Alliance attacked. Now, Orb is no more."

"Why don't you join ZAFT? I mean you have to be a Coordinator if you can battle that well in an M1 Astray. Join your own people."

Shin laid back down on his bed. His head was gushing with thoughts. Shall he shed his anger and live a life of peace, or shall he join ZAFT and bring about the destruction of the Earth Alliance. "Let me think about it."

"Okay," Mina replied. "But in the meantime, let me take you on a tour of the submarine."

"Alright," Shin sighed. He slowly got up and Mina wrapped her arm around his. She then led him out of the medical bay and into the corridor.

As she was leading him through the hallway, she explained all about the specs of the submarine. "These are the quarters of the crew, and up ahead is the central elevator.

They walked into the elevator and she took him to the mobile suit hangar. As soon as Shin walked in, he was struck with awe. There were three amphibious mobile suits stored and three aerial mobile suits.

"The one with wings are AMF-1 Dinns. They have high maneuverability and are capable of aerial combat. The two amphibious mobile suits you see on the left are UMF-4A Goohns. They are capable of aquatic combat and have a swim mode for faster movements underwater."

"What about that one?" Shin asked as he pointed to the green amphibious mobile suit.

"That is the UMF-5 Zno, ZAFT's newest amphibious mobile suit. It is equipped for close combat in case the Earth Alliance developed aquatic mobile suits."

Well that's all for the mobile suit hangar tour, and now we'll continue to the main bridge. They went back to the elevator and rode up to the main bridge.

As soon as Shin walked in he was greeted warmly by the crew after Mina had introduced him.

"Hello, my name is Chard Morman," said the communications officer.

"Pleased to meet ya, Mr. Asuka, my name is Dirk Harrison," said the combat tactician as he shook Shin's hand.

"And I'm Ella Lania," said the cute navigation officer.

"Shin," said Mina as she pointed to a man sitting in a high char, "this is Captain Doran."

"I'm very impressed by you combat abilities," said Captain Doran. "We've been monitoring you for quite a while and I must say, your piloting skill rivals that of our ace pilots Rau LeCruset and Athrun Zala."

"Thank you sir," Shin replied.

"Now, I must ask you if you would consider joining ZAFT. We need pilots like you, especially for the oncoming assault on Panama."

Shin thought about it deeply. He wanted revenge and felt attracted to Mina. He wanted to protect her for she had cared so much for him. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Well, welcome aboard, Mr. Asuka. From this day forth you are a pilot for the Zodiac Alliance Freedom Treaty. I wish you the best of luck in combat." Captain Doran then gave a ZAFT salute.

"Mina," said Ella, "why don't you take our new pilot to the deck. We're surfaced now and he can get a good view of the ocean. Fresh air could do him some good after the injuries he sustained."

"Okay." Mina then took Shin's arm and led him to the deck. Ella was right, the fresh ocean breeze felt good on Shin's face. He was feeling better.

"Why did you join ZAFT?" Shin asked suddenly.

"Oh, I don't know. I just felt that my race was being oppressed by the Naturals. See, I lived down on Earth for a while. My father owned a successful business until the Blue Cosmos came knocking on our door. They...... They killed my father and torched our home. I escaped with my mother and little brother. We then took a shuttle to ZAFT."

Shin then saw the tears in her eyes. Retelling those memories must have upset her greatly. Shin felt very compassionate for her. "I'm sorry, Mina. Please forgive me."

"No, it's okay, Shin. I feel better now that I've told someone. Those feelings have been bottled up in my heart. You know, I feel very safe with you. Your presence is very comforting.

Shin immediately blushed. "Oh, thank you."

Mina came forth and embraced him. He stared deeply into her eyes. Their bodies were coming closer and closer. Their faces were just inches apart. Then all of a sudden a torpedo impacted into the submarine's side.

"All personnel prepare for combat. Retreat inside the submarine immediately. Prepare for dive."

Shin and Mina ran inside just as the submarine was beginning to submerge. They quickly made their way to the main deck.

"Morman, report," Captain Doran shouted.

"There is a Natural fleet approaching, sir. I'm reading four carriers, ten cruisers, and eight destroyers. There is also a squadron of Strike Daggers approaching. The squadron is led by...... What it can't be. The mobile suit has been identified as a GAT-706S Deep Forbidden.

"Alert the fleets. Have the Goohns launch and the Dinns take off. Alert the _Arginusae_ to launch their CGUEs and Ginns. Shin, I want you to launch in the Zno."

"Me, sir," Shin said in shock, "but I've never had any experience with an aquatic mobile suit. I can't pilot that thing."

"I have perfect confidence in you, Shin. Your abilities might be the key to winning this battle. Now go."

Shin rushed down to the hangar and quickly climbed into the Zno unit. "Let's see here. The Zno seems to be equipped with sharp claws, two photon masers, and some torpedo launchers. What have you gotten yourself into, Shin? First day on the job and you're already involved in a large scale battle. Oh well, can't help that. Shin Asuka, Zno, launching."

His mobile suit catapulted out of the submarine. "Okay, thrusters seem to be okay. The depth pressure has been adjusted and the weight density has been set. Looks like I'm ready to go."

"Shin, can you hear me?"

"Mina?"

"That's right Shin, I'll be your technician and guide."

"Alright, that's fine by me." Shin transformed into swim mode and rushed off towards the Earth Alliance fleet. There were five Goohs around him since Captain Doran had ordered them to follow Shin's orders. All of a sudden, a photo maser shot forth and breached their formation. Up ahead was the Earth Alliance mobile suit the Deep Forbidden. It shot forward and grabbed a Goohn with its claws and stabbed it with its sharp point. The Goohn exploded and the impacted shocked Shin. The Deep Forbidden then turned its attention to Shin. It fired its torpedoes and lunged forth and stretched his arms extending its trident menacingly. Shin was in panic. He had no idea how to operate underwater. All the strength he displayed during his initial battle with the Earth Alliance seemed to be gone.

"Shin move there's five torpedoes heading straight towards you. Shin! Shin!"

Shin was frozen with fear. The torpedoes were approaching and he was just an easy target. This seemed like the end.


	4. High Tide

**Phase 4: High Tide**

"Shin, get out of the way," Mina shouted.

Shin then broke his daze and slammed the propulsion peddle. His Zno went upwards at a 45 degree angle. Shin then charged his phonon masers and fired at the Deep Forbidden. The beams hurtled at the mobile suit, but the Deep Forbidden went into close combat mode and activated its Panzer energy deflection system. Shin thought that it was over, but his two beams bent when it impacted the Deep Forbidden and destroyed parts of the coral reef.

"Shin, my computer is reading that the Deep Forbidden has an energy deflection system which means your beam weapons are absolutely useless."

"Got any advice?"

"The Zno is designed for close combat. If you can get close to it, then you might have a chance."

"Well that's a relief," Shin said sarcastically.

"Squad leader Asuka, what do we do?" one of the Goohn pilots asked.

"You guys take care of the Earth Alliance fleet. I'll handle the Deep Forbidden alone."

The Goohn squad rushed towards the EA fleet in swim mode while Shin and the Deep Forbidden began their duel. The Deep Forbidden fired its torpedoes again as Shin rushed forth. Shin saw the torpedoes and transformed into swim mode. He charged upwards at a 70 degree angle and dodged the torpedoes.

"Shin, be careful not to waste too much energy. I would suggest destroying the Deep Forbidden's tail extension. Then you can do furtive high speed attacks since the Deep Forbidden's sonar array is located in its tail."

Shin lunged forth in swim mode and tackled the Deep Forbidden. But that gave the Deep Forbidden the opportunity to stab the Zno in its left shoulder with its trident. Shin rushed back just as the Deep Forbidden fired its phonon masers. It was a narrow escape for Shin.

"This guy is really tough." Shin was all out of breath. His nervousness was building up again. Just one wrong move and he could be dead.

"Shin, the Deep Forbidden has a limited energy supply. Try to wear it out."

"Okay." Shin then swam behind the Deep Forbidden quickly and fired his torpedoes. The Deep Forbidden dodged one of the torpedoes, but the other destroyed its tail extension.

"You'll pay for that, ZAFT pilot," said the pilot of the Deep Forbidden.

"Bring it on," Shin replied.

"I haven't even started my assault and it seems you're already out of breath." The Deep Forbidden lunged forth with its trident. Shin assumed that the pilot was trying a melee attack, but the Deep Forbidden pulled back and fired its phonon masers. Shin wasn't ready for it and one of the beams tore a hole in the Zno's leg.

Shin quickly swam away and hid behind part of the coral reef.

"Mina, I can't do this. That suit is just too powerful."

"You can do it, Shin. I believe in you."

"Where are you, ZAFT pilot? Come out and play."

Shin was beginning to panic. His inexperience and lack of raw power was getting to him. He became truly afraid.

"I see you."

Shin looked upwards and there was the Deep Forbidden. It fired its phonon masers just as Shin was beginning to swim away. Shin retaliated by firing his phonon masers, but the beams just bent and the Deep Forbidden emerged unscathed.

"Shin, Captain Doran is sending reinforcements. A Goohn squad should be here momentarily."

Shin felt a bit relieved, but his moment of relief allowed the Deep Forbidden to have its opening. One of its torpedoes took out the Zno's right ankle. The Deep Forbidden then moved in for the kill with its trident.

"This is the end for you, ZAFT pilot," the Deep Forbidden pilot said maniacally. He raised his trident, but a phonon maser came hurtling forward. The Deep Forbidden pulled back at the last moment and went into close combat mode.

"We're here to assist you, Shin Asuka. ZAFT Goohn Squad B at your service."

"Thanks," Shin replied gratefully.

"More ZAFT flunkies for me to kill, this must be my lucky day."

The Goohns immediately began their torpedo assault. The Deep Forbidden was caught in a cyclone of explosions. For a minute it looked like the Deep Forbidden had been destroyed, but out of the cloud of bubbles, it emerged. It charged straight into the nearest Goohn and stabbed it in the chest. The Deep Forbidden then turned around and destroyed two more Goohns with its phonon masers.

"Remaining Goohns form a formation around me," the Goohn Squad B leader shouted. Two Goohns came to his side. "Delta attack formation, let's go."

The three Goohns lunged forth in swim mode only to meet their end by the Deep Forbidden's phonon masers and torpedoes. Shin watched in horror as the last of the Goohn squad was destroyed.

"I won't allow the Earth Alliance to destroy anymore. Coordinators shall no longer be oppressed." Shin then saw the black seed in his mind burst. He lunged forth and fired his two remaining torpedoes. One caught the Deep Forbidden in its torso damaging it a bit.

"Damn, you," cried the pilot.

"The feeling is mutual."

The Deep Forbidden fired its remaining torpedoes and both its phonon masers. A huge explosion occurred and Shin's Zno disappeared in a vortex of heated water. Bubbles flew everywhere and the coral reef was filled with the hollering of the pilot's laughter.

"Shin," Mina screamed. "Shin, please report. Shin, come in."

Then all of a sudden Shin's Zno burst through the vortex in swim mode. He tackled the Deep Forbidden and switched to combat mode. "Why can't Naturals leave Coordinators alone?" Shin shouted just as his claws ripped into the Deep Forbidden's cockpit.

The resulting explosion caused waves to ripple. Shin's Zno shot straight out of the water. He fired his phonon masers at any Earth Alliance ship within range. "Coordinators shall no longer be oppressed by your tyranny."

The remaining Earth Alliance ships began a full scale retreat. They had lost the Deep Forbidden unit and knew that they were no match for the remaining ZAFT Goohns. Shin dived back into the water and swam slowly to the _Leviathan_.

"This is Shin Asuka requesting permission to dock."

"This is Ella Lania, you are free to dock. Welcome back Mr. Asuka."

Shin docked into the hangar and got out of his mobile suit. Mina was running towards him. She lunged at him and the two united in an embrace.

"I was worried about you, Shin."

"It's okay, I came back didn't I."

"Shin, that was some skill you showed out there," said the chief mechanic. "But next time go easy on the mobile suit."

"Shin," said Captain Doran, "I'm impressed by your prowess on the battlefield. But now you should take a break. We need you for the defense of Victoria. We have a new mobile suit for you. Take a look at that." He pointed to a new mobile suit. "It's called the CGUE Deep Arms. You will be acting as squad leader for the defense of the mass driver."

Shin stared at the mobile suit. Panama was the only thing he had his mind on now. This war had to end. He knew that without war, peace was impossible.


End file.
